Wisely, Bangladesh's management has decided that there is little benefit to be
gained from established players like Habibul Bashar, Mashrafe Mortaza and Khaled
Mashud to keep playing, and have replaced them with a number of fringe players.

These players have done creditably on their first day against Gloucestershire, a
county in the First Division of the English county championship.

Shahadat appears to have found his rhythm again, dismissing the Gloc's opening
bat for a duck, and then keeping the pressure on. Notably, he contributed no
wides to the extras column.

Syed Rassel bowled tight and successfully; he's the sort of fastish medium pace
left armer that has been historically successful in England, and he completed
the job on Gloc's top order that Shahadat started.

Talha Jubair, bowling first change, also got among the wickets.

Enamul was tight, and Rahman got one in his six overs.

Bangladesh's bowlers, in their 58 overs, gave away only six no-balls and no
wides - an extra every ten overs or so.

The overall economy rate and the lack of extras indicates to me that the seamers
bowed tight and on the required line - from the scoring rate and lack of extras,
there appeared to be little that sat up and begged to be hit.

In summary, it was good bowling in English conditions, and if they can continue
in this vein, then I believe that their performances will be noted by certian
county selectors.

The batting saw ex-England ODI player Jon Lewis and big seamer James Averis do
damage to the Bangladesh's top order, but Alok Kapali and Tushar Imran stopped
the rot with an unbeaten 69 run partnership.

It's important they go on with it, because there isn't a lot of batting to back
them up, although Rahim and Rahman both have first-class centuries.

But if, in this fourth part of Bangladesh's tour of England, the bowlers
continue to bowl tight and with the conditions, I'll be a lot happier about the
future of the Tigers' bowling attack.